Having to watch over a vacant home is a full time job and one that can get old really quick. Most times when you inherit a house from a deceased relative
it is either in another town or even on the other side of the country.
Have you ever been driving through a neighborhood that had a vacant
home? It is usually very easy to spot, either by the unkempt lawn or
the news papers have piled up. Even if some one is hired to mow the
lawn and pick up the papers, there are always signs and those signs
scream out to vandals and thieves that this house is vacant.

There are steps you can take to best keep the house in order and in sellable condition.
In the end getting the best possible price for the home is the goal,
but sometimes selling it quickly can save you a ton of money and
headaches. Until the time comes when the house actually sells please
take the following actions in order to best protect yourself and the
vacant house.

1) Get Vacant Homeowners Insurance. This is a MUST, as the regular
homeowners policy will most likely be dropped by the provider once the
home is vacant for 90 days. This is not always true, but when there is
an accident or a claim, the policy will not cover what you think as it
assumes the house is occupied. Call your insurance company and tell
them about the vacant house situation, not all companies will cover a
vacant house so finding one that will is paramount.

2) You’ll need someone to look after the house. Call a neighbor,
friend or relative that lives in the neighborhood to have them help
maintain the house. They should go into the property about once every
week, it’s important to stay on a routine schedule in order to catch
possible hazards, water leaks or break-ins. Doing so will limit the
damage or even prevent it.

3) Get an Alarm system. This has two benefits, one it with prevent
break-ins and two your new vacant homeowners policy might give you a
discount for having one installed. Not only that but it will give you
the peace of mind that the house is safe.

4) Do preventative maintenance by turning off water to the house and
drain the pipes to prevent them from freezing in the winter. If you
can not drain the pipes then during winter months keep the house
temperature between 58 and 60 degrees. Also have the walk ways,
driveways and front steps cleared of any snow or ice in the winter
months. In the summer months have the lawn mowed, shrubs trimmed and
just keep the house generally looking good.

Yes this is a lot of work, but can not be left undone. Did you know
that if you are an executor of an estate, New Jersey Probate Law says you can be held liable for
accidents that occur on or in the vacant property? If a pipe leaks and
nobody checks on the house for weeks at a time, the damage could be
more then $100,000 and cause deadly mold to form. Once a house
displays signs of mold it INSTANTLY becomes very hard to sell and
expensive for remediation.